They’re mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore.

The Writer’s Guild of America, comprised of two unions covering the East and West sides of the United States, have united to strike against the studios they work for. Over 12,000 writers are actively participating. Due to demonstrations all over major cities, writers hoping to continue their work will have to cross hostile picket lines and may put their membership (and jobs) in danger. Recently, the Golden Globes have been canceled due to an arrangement reached between the Screen Actor’s Guild and the WGA.

So what’s the big deal? Writers have long been the unsung heroes of the film industry. Directors and actors are given their due, but few people can name who wrote their favorite movie. In 1988, the WGA struck over the advent of home video; they wanted what they saw as their fair royalties, and producers finally relented. But since home video was so expensive and rare, they only gave writers a tiny percentage of sales, not forseeing the technology boom in ensuing decades. The same tiny percentages apply to DVD sales - now, writers hope to double their share in DVD profits. Also, to keep up with changing technology, they want a taste of “new media” - website downloads, smart phone programming, IPTV, cable on-demand, and other growing industries. They’re looking ahead to the day when DVD sales fall sharply, replaced by sales of something from which they don’t fairly profit.

Tired of the impasse they reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the WGA has announced plans to negotiate separately with different companies to meet their demands. As of now, there’s no word on how and when the strike will come to an end. Individual television shows have returned, after reaching individual agreements with the strikers, but most networks are stuck with re-runs.

It may seem that the WGA timed the strike strategically to interfere with awards shows, but in truth, their contract with the AMPTP just happened to expire on October 31st. Negotiations broke down after a few days, and the current chaos resulted.

As a mostly-amateur writer far outside of “the industry,” I have mixed feelings about this strike. The AMPTP was naïve to think that writers wouldn’t catch on to the changing times, and in that way, the strike is partially their fault. There was no need for re-negotiation to become hostile. On the other hand, strikes in general seem to hurt everyone. Writers are now unable to work, some of whom depend on their salaries to live. It’s impossible to work in film or television without being a member of WGA, so the strike is now forced upon all writers, even those who don’t agree with the terms.

By essentially blocking the Golden Globes, the WGA has certainly earned a place in history. Hopefully the AMPTP will sit up and take notice, and begin friendly negotiations again. After all, we need our shows.

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